ACTing together: A graduate program community partnership for violence prevention

Kim Dell’Angela, PhD and Jaleel Abdul-Adil, PhD, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, Chicago Campus

Growing awareness of the impact of violence and its direct consequence on health outcomes across the lifespan has made prevention of violence a public health imperative. Research estimates that between 25 and 30% of adults were exposed to health-altering violence during childhood (Moffitt, 2013). Research has shown that intervening early in life and developing effective parenting skills are critical ways to prevent violence in the lives of children. The Clinical PsyD program of the Chicago Campus of the TCSPP has partnered with the American Psychological Association to provide communities in Illinois with access to the “ACT/Parents Raising Safe Kids” program – an evidence-informed, culturally sensitive multisession prevention program targeted to parents and others who care for children. This session will provide an overview of the ACT program, including the research upon which it is based and its applications. Faculty mentors, community members, and students will discuss the implementation of the partnership and how participation can build critical community engagement, violence prevention, research and interprofessionalism skills for graduate students.